Menu

MACHINEFABRIEK & MINUS PILOTS – Signals

Minus Pilots’ used several electric basses together with an array of memory man delay/looping pedals to create the initial building blocks for ‘Signals’. Leaving these bare sketches intact, subtly knitting them together as one piece, Machinefabriek added (sampled) clarinet, strings and voice, creating a lush sonic palette. Presented as one 35 minute piece, ‘Signals’ is a gentle floating patchwork of hypnotizing beauty.

Minus Pilots exists as a self-described experiment with all of their recordings designed for listening through headphones while gazing at the stars. The band weave together layers of clustered bass with gentle crackle to create a unique ambience and haunting glow that can’t help but draw you in. They play as if they have discarded anticipated structure seducing you with their wonderfully extreme minimalist approach. Fragile crumbling textures are reserved for dark spaces and cinematic moments only heard in the subconscious. Each recording hits you as if there were no music. Just sound that pushes all the right buttons. Gently. Minus Pilots have released records with Champion Version, Eat, Sleep, Repeat, Emperor Deluxe, Fake Jazz, Futurerecordings, Panic Arrest and Superior Standards.

Machinefabriek has a background in graphic design and started releasing music in 2004. Amid ambient, field recordings, noise and minimalism, Machinefabriek creates immersive sonic environments. He has collaborated with Peter Broderick, Mats Gustafsson, Stephen Vitiello, Steve Roden, Celer, Jaap Blonk and many others. His music has been published by 12K, Important, Power Audioshovel, Staalplaat, Experimedia and Low Point. In the last few years, Machinefabriek has worked on film soundtracks, dance scores and installations.

Related

Post navigation

4 thoughts on “MACHINEFABRIEK & MINUS PILOTS – Signals”

This is surely a work of many a loop pedal and nothing is done to hide that. Is that a bad thing? Not necessarily so, but despite the fact that this sounds pretty relaxing and nice, it also comes across as an easy work to create.

In general, the recording’s not unpleasant effect calls to mind the image of a rowboat drifting down a country stream on a hot summer afternoon, with the sleepy inhabitants lulled by the boat’s gentle rocking.